The Lost Heir
by danielledee
Summary: There are whispers of "The Lost Heir" begin circulating the dark underground world of the Strigoi. A person, a weapon who can put an end to the Moroi for good. Infiltrating the Royal Court, a Strigoi sent on a mission to find the Lost Heir, Anya discovers a secret older than time itself. - I'm sorry I'm no good at Summaries, story is much better I promise ! :)


Prologue

I sat in my dark room looking out the window into the night, watching the silent streets below. Everything was much clearer to me now, it was as if a veil that previously clouded my vision had been lifted. I could smell the blood of the drunken men loitering the street below so intensely I could taste them. I could hear things better, I heard everyone's conversations in the abandoned building I had found solace in, each conversation featured a common topic of discussion. Me. Who is she? Why is she here? Why did Nikoli change her? Truthfully I didn't know, if I had it my way I would be dead already. Nikoli had found me broken and on the brink of death, he turned me into a vampire. He gave me knew life, or a second chance at life as he liked to put it. I didn't know how I felt, mostly numb, confused, anxious, but above all I was _thirsty_. My throat burned like I was swallowing a hot branding iron. Nikoli had already shown me how to hunt, I had already fed. But I thirsted for more. I was holding myself back, although it was natural for me to want to give my body what it so desperately craved I refused it. It was wrong. I watched as Nikoli followed his prey, frightened them to a point beyond fear, beyond begging for mercy where they just froze, shocked and stood waiting to die. He made it painful for them, like they deserved it. It disgusted me how he killed them slowly, made it painful for them as he fed. You were able to feed off a human without hurting them, it just made them weak if not a little loopy. You could make them forget about them ever seeing you and let them live their lives happily just wondering what two little dots on their necks were without them giving the marks any second thought. Nikoli didn't believe they deserved to live, to walk the same earth as we did. I had seen that in the past week I had been here. I couldn't do this on my own yet to leave, his hunting habits reflected his personality, that didn't mean mine had too. As soon as I was more adjusted I would leave Nikoli, find a way to end this for good. 

I heard him approach, I felt a shift in the room as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Come with me."

Nikoli left my side and waited at the door, I shot one lasting glance at the men below and followed after him. Wordlessly he took me down to the basement level, watching red eyes following us as we passed. The basement smelled awful, like death, I held my breath. Nikoli insisted that the smell would grow on me and it wouldn't affect me as time went on. He stopped before a steel door and turned to face me. He studied me carefully arms folded with his head held high. I watched him think, we stood there for several moments unmoving, I showed no emotion, just waited in silence expressionless.

He sighed, and held out his hand. On the smallest finger on his hand sat an ancient ring of a brilliant Ruby colour with twisted black and gold metal. I stared at it then up at him before crossing my own arms. He huffed again.

"People are beginning to ask questions." He stated simply.

I remained silent. I didn't care what anyone else talked about.

"You are my greatest success I would say," he started. "Within a week you have proven yourself more capable, more outstanding than any vampire I have met. You outperformed on numerous occasions, outshined vampires alive for hundreds of years more than you." He looked down at the ring on his finger. "I wonder however, what side are you truly on?"

"There are no sides Nikoli." I stated, my eyes unmoving from his.

He laughed a dark sound. "Exactly. There is only us. No other side matters, no one else is as important as we Strigoi are."

I didn't reply, my eyes flickered to the steel door and back at him. He grinned in response before moving to unlock the door. It's safe to say I was not prepared for what was on the other side. The room was dimly lit save for the swinging lightbulb that highlighted a single chair in the room. Sitting at the chair was a man who was bound and gagged, head hanging in defeat and his breathing ragged, I smelt the air and realized I knew who the person was. Tomas, a hunter that I was working with before I killed myself, a man who was like a brother to me. My jaw hardened as I thought of all the things they had done to him. I composed myself as Nikoli clicked his fingers, from the shadows two vampires emerged, one standing behind Tomas staring directly at me and the other by his side. Nikoli walked further in the room and I wordlessly followed.

He knelt down so he was on Tomas's level, grabbing his chin roughly to look at him. "I brought a present for you." He lifted Tomas's head so his eyes could find mine. His face lit up and immediately turned into one of shock, horror and betrayal.

I almost winced at the look he gave me, I didn't however and remained composed. I knew that was what Nikoli wanted, a reaction from me as he held a friend of mine captive. I looked over at Nikoli who was watching me carefully. He seemed pleased with what he saw.

"Come here, my darling Anastasia."

I felt a growl rise at the back of my throat as he used my name, I supressed it and did as he asked.

"It seems to me that the two of you have some catching up to do." He grinned, clicking his fingers again as the two other vampires turned to follow him out of the  
room, shutting the door behind him.

I untied the gag from Andre's mouth and could only look at him with sad eyes.

"How could you?" He had such venom in his voice.

Although I was dead, I still felt emotion, my body still acted in human ways. I still felt when my eyes began to water, which came much to Tomas's surprise. I touched his face, pushing my thoughts into his head.

 _I didn't have a choice._

He blinked in surprise a few times, he immediately replied.

 _How can you still use magic?_

 _I don't know._

He was silent, staring at me with great sadness in his eyes.

 _What happened?_

A tear rolled down my cheek. I closed my eyes playing that night through his mind. My insanity had driven me to kill myself, he winced as I showed him how I threw myself off a Cathedral in St. Petersburg. And how I woke up here, as a vampire.

 _I love you Anya, I always will._

I lightly touched my forehead with his, as if to throw my emotions into his mind, to show him how sorry I was, how hurt I was.

 _I love you Tomas, my brother, forever. I will kill them all. I promise you I will._

I took a step back, wiping the tear from my face and watched as Tomas sucked in a sharp breath, knowing what was about to happen. They were going to kill him and make me watch, it was Nikoli's way to test my loyalty.

Nikoli breezed behind me, flanked by the two other vampires as they returned to their previous positions.

"What? No words for the soon to be departed?" He chuckled, glancing between us. He sighed, content. "This man is a traitor, he has ended the lives of too many of our own."

He caressed my cheek. "While I forgave you because I saw the potential you had, I will not do him the same kindness."

One of the vampires tilted Tomas's head back, so the light was mainly focused on his face while the other forced his mouth open. I watched as Nikoli began to pull Tomas's teeth from his mouth, his agonizing screams unbearable but I had to remain motionless, I had to remain expressionless or this would all be for nothing. Blood spilled from his mouth and the smell I found no longer made my throat burn but rather made me want to throw up. It repulsed me. Nikoli repulsed me, his disrespect for human life. His cruelness. He could have just killed Tomas, ended things quickly. He had already tortured him, but he sat there pulling each and every tooth from Tomas's mouth. Andre was weak, at the brink of death, dangerously ready to slip on the other side but Nikoli decided that the teeth were not enough. He grabbed his face and made Tomas's eyes stare into mine as he took a blade and sliced his throat open even more blood flooding Tomas's now lifeless body. I had watched the light leave his eyes, I watched my friend, my brother die before my eyes and I could not do anything. After staring at the lifeless body for a moment, I turned to Nikoli.

" _Dovolen?_ "

He nodded after a moment. " _Dovolen._ " A hard and yet amused expression lighting his face.


End file.
